A fluffy gift for you

Today, I open my calendula kimono

Today, I open my calendula kimono for you.

Like most writers, my life doesn’t exist entirely in front of a laptop, journal, or notepad. We have other jobs, we mother, father, nurture, play, explore the world—and then turn those discoveries into words.

I’ve always been someone who thrives on projects. Lots of them. Even my worst boyfriend knew this about me. “Kim’s happiness is dependent on having something to obsess over,” he once grumbled. I think he was jealous of my attention, my enthusiasm, maybe even the kombucha scoby I doted on more than him.

Thankfully, life moved on, and so did I.

A few years ago, after my husband and I settled into a rural, homesteading life—growing most of our food, tending our hens (more as pets than livestock), and learning to fall in love with a bit of grit under my nails—I tossed some calendula seeds into a garden bed. I already knew about her healing properties and figured I’d make a little holiday tea or healing salve for friends.

Enter love affair.

I couldn’t get enough of this sunshine-on-a-stem, this undying blossomer. I’d harvest baskets full, smoosh my face into her petals, and breathe in until I was drunk—a honeybee high on her pepper-grass scent. Second to rolling naked in a field of calendula (highly recommended), I began crafting a skin cream using her potent petals. A few months of slow infusion, a year of obsessive formulation, testing, and tweaking—and Face Fluf was born.

At first, it was just for me—a full-body immersion with my newfound friend. Then I made some Fluf for my 80-year-old mom, my pre- and post-menopausal friends, their teenage daughters. Before I knew it, messages started rolling in from friends of friends, then strangers, asking for more. So in early 2024, I turned it into an official, small-batch business. Now, my best customers are my return customers—people who swear they can’t live without it. I had no idea I’d created something so special, but it turns out calendula’s potent healing properties make it a perfect fit for everyone: anti-inflammatory, rejuvenating, restorative, and packed with antioxidants. Nature knew what she was doing. I just bottled it.

And now, I have a special gift for you.

I don’t often ask for financial support, because, like many artists, it makes me squirm. But the truth is, for writers, making a living from our work is a rare and beautiful thing. Every paid subscription to my Substack helps me continue creating—whether it’s my forthcoming memoir, essays for the underdog and often maligned, interviews with Substack lovelies, unfixed films, or little love notes like this.

So as a thank you—and to share celebrations of my 50th birthday month—I’ll send you two Face Fluf products of your choosing (up to $105 value) when you subscribe to an annual paid membership ($60) this February. Free shipping, too—if you’re in the U.S. (Sorry my overseas friends, I’ll have to charge for international orders. If you’re interested, let me know and I can calculate the cost for you.)

This is a very limited-time offer, just for my Substack readers. If you’d like to support my work—and get some seriously nourishing and rave-reviewed skincare in return—just sign up for an annual membership, then reply to this email or DM me with your two product choices.

Thank you, always, for being here. For reading, for responding, for nurturing the work that makes our hearts light up. I am gaga over you more than you know.

With love and Fluf,

Kimberly

P.S. You can check out the full Face Fluf lineup here.

1. Wouldn't you want to roll in this? 2. My first local vendor market. Yes, I was excited. 3. Bio Fluf, bio-active, hyaluronic serum. 4. Face Fluf and Face Food, golden from a triple-extract of calendula's potent petals. 5. Yes, Dave does all my branding. Lucky me. 6. Lean in and hear them singing. 7. Face Food, like a superfood smoothie for your face. 8. Honeybee bed. 9. Holiday 2024 market where my biggest hit were Stocking Fluffers. ;)